2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
38 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 38 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 7.6
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Vehicle safety SOS button is not functioning properly. When the SOS button is depressed in case of emergency, the vehicle notifies user at the emergency system is un operational. Toyota includes this for 10 years from the date purchase and my vehicle is a 2021 making this feature active till 2031. By having the SOS button nonfunctional occupants of the vehicle, which may rely on this feature may sustain injury or dea…
Car surged as brakes were applied when stopping. Very dangerous. Could have easily rear-ended another vehicle. Surge was immediate and occurred when brake was being applied. Not confirmed yet, but another driver of vehicle told me of having similar problems when braking this car. Very scary. No warnings or messsages.
Unexpected failure of the acceleration pedal to accelerate from a complete stop to a go at an intersection. The electric vehicle (EV) motor began accelerating up to about 3 mph than instantly had a failure to accelerate, even with the gas pedal continuously pushed to the floor. After about 4 to 5 seconds the engine kicked on and began accelerating. The failure seemed to occur during the EV motor swapping over to the …
Recalls: 4 campaigns (1 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 25V086000 | Seats:Mid/Rear Assembly:Recliner | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Sienna Hybrid vehicles. The bolts for the seatbacks on the third-row seat assemblies may not be tightened properly. |
| 22V239000 | Electronic Stability Control (Esc):Control Module:Software | Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The Skid Control ECU software may not turn on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system when the vehicle is… |
| 25V877000 | Equipment Adaptive/Mobility:Wheelchair Restraints/Securement:Latch/Anchor: | Vantage Mobility, LLC (VM) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Honda Odyssey, 2021-2025 Chrysler Pacifica, and Toyota Sienna vehicles equipped with QRT-Deluxe and QRT-Max wheelchair restraints. The retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured. |
| 23V865000 | Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS)… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a minivan of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 36 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $1,700
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Air Bags13 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Service Brakes6 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Visibility/Wiper4 complaints · typical job: Wiper motor, linkage or windscreen replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$490–$1,200
- Unknown Or Other3 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Electrical System3 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Engine3 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
Other Toyota Sienna Hybrid years
Toyota Sienna Hybrid years to avoid, and the best years to buy →
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Air Bags (13 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 81/100, computed from 38 NHTSA complaints and 4 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid's most common problem?
13 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement: about 2.5 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $600–$1,700 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid cost to run per year?
About $3,214 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $16,070 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for the 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 13/02/2025. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other minivans of about the same age.
What will a 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 38 complaints, 4 recalls on record
- 38 NHTSA complaints on record (7.6/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (7.6/yr)
- 4 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality